Likely state record Bass in So. Oregon.......

Straydog · 08-24-2006, 08:40 AM

From today's Medford Mail Tribune.....

http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2...ss-freecol.htm

quacK5 · 08-24-2006, 09:26 AM

What a nice fish! Good story too. Too bad that it didn't work out so that the kid could have gotten the record if he deserved it. I had never heard of Hyatt, but just looked it up in my fishing oregon book. No wonder it has big bass, as it says DFW stocks 1/4 million fingerling rainbows there each year! Might be a good spot for throwing swimbaits. Plus you would think that bass would put on more weight in the next couple of months and be a little heavier. Makes you wonder how many lakes in Oregon have monster bass in them, probably way more that we think! Those Southern Oregon lakes hold some big fish, didn't Selmac produce the state record at one time?

Super Fluke · 08-24-2006, 09:41 AM

Thats a big fish.

Basscaster · 08-24-2006, 10:01 AM

Wow. That is huge fish. Kudos to that kid for doing what he did, that would be a tough decision for most adults. There are some huge fish in those lakes down there, Selmac has produced the state record multiple times. He sounds like he is out there for all the right reasons, I hope he gets the chance to catch a bigger one in a better situation to get it certified without killing it.

tnj8222 · 08-24-2006, 10:14 AM

myself i dont think i would go through what it takes to get your name on the board. but i would take lots of pics and make sure it goes back safely... i would definately make a replica of it though!!!

shalom · 08-24-2006, 10:17 AM

You can take a fish to be weighed on a certified scale in your live well have it weighed , then put back into your live well and returned to the water where it was caught , and released . It will be a new record .

Striper Club · 08-24-2006, 11:21 AM

Quote:

"It doesn't really matter how big the bass is, I let it go," Pearson says. "That fish probably is as old as I am.

"I don't think it's right to kill a fish just to get a record," he says.

"That fish will be there for somebody else to catch," Pearson says. "Someone else can have that joy."

I like this kid. Even at that young age, he gets it. Sounds like he should have enough measurements and a good photo to perhaps get a replica.

1bigfish · 08-24-2006, 01:05 PM

I personally carry a digital scale and am waiting for my new boga grip with a built in scale that I ordered over the internet, so now I will have two scales with me at all time. I also carry a list of the state records, and the forum you need to fill out if you are trying to register a state record. All this being said I am prepared if I ever did catch a record fish, although I know deep down that it is not likely I ever will as I am really not that good. But the real question still remains. Would I have kept that fish if I knew it was a record?

OK, I do 90% of my fishing from my boat, which does have a live well, and I think that I can get a fish to a certified scale, have it weighted, take it back to the lake I caught it in, and release it. But lets look at the situation. Since the kid had no live well, and the nearest certified scale was miles away he only had two choices. Take a shot at the state record, which would mean killing the fish, or let it go and lose his chance to get his name in the record book.

Honestly, how many of you out there would have let the fish go? Me personally I am a die-hard catch and release bass fisherman. I never keep a bass. I don�t flame people who do keep bass but I will always try and educate them on the importance of at least letting the bigger ones go. And had this kid kept the fish in order to try for the state record I would not have flamed him for it. In fact if it had been me who caught that fish instead of that kid I would have kept it and went for the record. Killing a fish like that goes against everything I stand for but it is a record right?

But after reading the story, I know that if I am ever in that situation I will let the fish go.

The kid did the right thing, and he reminded me what fishing is all about. It is not the records it is the memories.

Thank you Colby Pearson.

PS. For all of you that say you would let the fish go instead of killing it and getting the record,(myself included) I am keeping a list of names.

If I ever find out that you do kill a fish just for the record I will flame you.

Not for killing the fish but for not keeping your word.
If you say you would have killed it to get the record, I personally will not flame you for it.

BassBuster · 08-24-2006, 01:53 PM

Hey Dave Smith....it's time for a trip to Hyatt!!!!

Basscaster · 08-24-2006, 03:53 PM

Good post striper and 1big. The more I think about it, the more respect I have for the kid. I hope someday I get to meet Colby Pearson's and shake his hand. I never kill bass and occasionally flame those that do. This kid epitomizes what we preach. He knows what its all about.

Speaking of Dave Smith, I had the pleasure of fishing with him a couple of days ago. We only caught 1 good fish and lost another huge one, but I had a great time. He's a fun guy and I learned a lot from him.

bassexterminator · 08-24-2006, 06:01 PM

Post deleted by 3riversBob

Striper Club · 08-24-2006, 06:06 PM

Need to work a bit harder on the funny.

fishlipper · 08-25-2006, 06:52 AM

Bassexterminator,
Does the size of that fish look familiar? It should, that is about the size of your near state record. I am glad that was not you who caught that fish, probably would have had the BBQ out and that slab slow roasting on it.

Dave Smith · 08-25-2006, 09:20 AM

bassexterminator: Congratulations: you are officially one of us now because you pulled off a great one! That's exactly the kind of comments we appreciate- I laughed so hard I almost spit-out my breakfast. Very funny, keep'em coming.
Dave

Super Fluke · 08-25-2006, 09:36 AM

DJD · 08-25-2006, 09:39 AM

Bassexterminator, Your grammar skills are eclipsed only by your lack of couth.

Dave Smith · 08-25-2006, 09:49 AM

On the big Bass: Yes, that is awesome that the kid has such an ethic at such a young age. That is an awesome fish! However, as you guys know, I am out to protect the guys that have done more than "claim" the state records. I just looked over my lists of fish that I have done (replicas) and all of my friends have done, from all over. The 24 inch girth is basically an impossibility- I hate to say it, but it is. I have done some fish that were that length and absolutely OBESE, with a girth no where near that. ADAM HASTINGS IS STILL THE STATE RECORD HOLDER. NORMAN WOODS CAUGHT AND RELEASED A FISH JUST AS BIG. Both of these guys provided lot's of proof of their accomplishments.

shalom · 08-25-2006, 10:52 AM

Dave ,
Did Normman Woods guide on the Deschutes many years ago ???????

Hunt'nFish · 08-25-2006, 01:14 PM

Quote:

"It doesn't really matter how big the bass is, I let it go," Pearson says. "That fish probably is as old as I am.

"I don't think it's right to kill a fish just to get a record," he says.

"That fish will be there for somebody else to catch," Pearson says. "Someone else can have that joy."

I like this kid. Even at that young age, he gets it. Sounds like he should have enough measurements and a good photo to perhaps get a replica.

Yes, horah, horah!

Shalom,
Few people know where all the state certified scales are, and very few are open on the weekends. Not that it matters to me, but I'd think it would be better to have a program to get our personal scales certified. Or perhaps certified after the fact. If I catch a fish on one day, weigh it on my digital, document/photo/measure/release it and then have my scale checked....why shouldn't the weight count?

I think in the interest of promoting C&R, making consessions to allow personal digital scales to be verified after the fact would've allowed this young man to do the right thing and be have his catch recognized officially.

I checked my 50lb Berkley Digital against our calibrated load cells here in the lab and found my particular scale to be only 1oz heavy at 10lbs and 2oz light at 40lbs. That's close enough for me.
My

Hunt'nFish

DJD · 08-25-2006, 02:13 PM

I like that idea, that way maybe fish in tournaments could be weighed immediatly and released, instead of being in the livewell all day.

Basscaster · 08-25-2006, 03:09 PM

Yeah good one exterminator. I almost laughed. I love the fact that our posts get edited and deleted and they let this knucklehead post whatever crap he wants to spew forth.

Super Fluke · 08-25-2006, 03:23 PM

Post deleted by Super Fluke

Dave Smith · 08-25-2006, 06:46 PM

Lads: order one of the really heavy fish weigh-in bags from BPS. They are cheap and don't take up any room. If you catch a gorilla, you can get it to a store and get witnesses, then run it back to the lake. In Oregon, it's OK to transport live fish, just not to another body of water. You can get your scale certified, but you will still need witnesses and it's not as good as having it weighed on a scale used in trade.

shalom · 08-25-2006, 07:19 PM

There is usually a grocery store around that is open . Most have a certifyed scale . That and witness are all that you need .

Super Fluke · 08-25-2006, 08:00 PM

When I caught my fish we wieghed it at Albertsons

Super Fluke · 08-25-2006, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Yeah good one exterminator. I almost laughed. I love the fact that our posts get edited and deleted and they let this knucklehead post whatever crap he wants to spew forth.

amen brother amen